


I always wanted to adopt (wasn't expecting it to be ghosts)

by malecs_lucky_star



Series: Julie and the Phantoms one shots [3]
Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: F/M, Found Family, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Ray is the best Dad, mentioned Homophobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:54:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27170683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/malecs_lucky_star/pseuds/malecs_lucky_star
Summary: The Phantoms find love and support of a dad through Ray while he gains three new sons, even if he can't hug them without his daughters help.
Relationships: Alex & Ray Molina, Alex/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Julie Molina/Luke Patterson, Ray Molina & Luke Patterson, Ray Molina & Reggie
Series: Julie and the Phantoms one shots [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1979861
Comments: 15
Kudos: 424





	I always wanted to adopt (wasn't expecting it to be ghosts)

**Author's Note:**

> I adore Ray so here is some love for Ray who I don't think would be the type of dad who would forbid his daughter from dating someone she really liked.
> 
> Okay so I took some liberties with how perfect harmony was created, so it was created by Julie and Luke subconsciously though neither of them know that.

Ray couldn’t believe how much things had changed in the last three weeks, his brilliant daughter had gone from a shadow of her former self to the shining star she had always been destined to be. He knew that he had three boys from Sweden to thank for getting his little girl her spark back, judging from the performances he had watched he may have one to thank a little more than the others. He really needed to talk to someone about that preferably Flynn, who wouldn’t sugar coat the truth for him. As if summoned by his thought the girl in question walked in the front door, before she could walk up to Julie’s room Ray called out to her.

“Flynn could you come in here a second?”

“Hey Mr. M what’s up” Flynn asked settling in the chair across from him.

“I just wanted to ask you something about Julie’s band.” Ray said and couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at the slightly panicked look in her eyes.

“Honestly Mr. M I don’t really understand how the holograms work I just push a button on the projector linked up to Julies phone before each show starts.” Flynn rushed to get out.

“No worries, I wouldn’t understand how the technology worked even if you did explain it to me. No, I wanted to ask about the Lead guitarist.” Ray reassured her not even wanting to think of the headache he would get trying to understand the holographic technology, give him straight forward photography any day of the week.

“Luke, what about him?” Flynn asked thrown by the direction of the conversation.

“I couldn’t help but notice that him and Julie seem to have this connection on stage, and he lights up whenever she looks at him. He also looked like a smacked puppy when she ignored him during the Great performance, I just figured that they had gotten into an argument before the performance.” Ray said with a shrug.

“What… Luke… Julie… I… What… no that’s not…” Flynn trailed off looking up at Ray’s raised eyebrow of judgment she deflated, she had never been able to keep the truth from him when he gave her that look.

“They have some killer chemistry on stage, but I have told Julie she needs to forget Luke because it won’t ever happen.” Flynn said firmly as if expecting that to be the answer Ray wanted.

“Why, what’s wrong with Luke.” Ray was suddenly worried that he had read the boy wrong, was he older than ray though, or did he have some sort of criminal record which came from more than dumb shit teenagers do or…

Before he could cycle any more thoughts around in his head Flynn answered his question.

“Because Luke and the rest of the band live so far away, you know, and long-distance relationships never work out.” Flynn said as if it had been obvious.

“Oh, is that all, well I imagine that the boys will be visiting here before long. No matter how much you say you want to stay behind the scenes eventually the lure of performing live and in person will draw them here. Besides long distance doesn’t have the same impact it used to, everyone is just a video call away, not like you have to wait to post letters anymore or save enough money for an international phone call.” Ray tried to sooth Flynn’s worries, it was good to know that Julie had someone so willing to look out for her.

“Wait you’re a dad, shouldn’t you be all like ‘no dating until you are 30 and definitely no dating rock start’” Flynn asked surprised at how cool Julies dad was being with everything.

“My Father was like that with my sisters all that happened was they snuck out the house and ended up in situations they wouldn’t have if our father had seen them as people rather than property. I always swore I would never be like that, plus now that Rose is gone Julie needs an adult, that she can talk to about everything without me getting defensive or cringing.” Ray explained and was pleased to see a smile bloom across Flynn’s face.

“So, you would really be alright with Julie dating Luke.”

“Well yeah, he looks at her like she put the sun and the moon in the sky, plus he got to like her for who she is while he was half way around the world, so I know he likes her for who she is and her personality more than anything else. Its better to have a tender affection first love than a first boyfriend in high school where hormones and expectations run rampant.” Flynn couldn’t help but smile as Ray trailed off the look on his face making it clear that he had begun to think about Julie’s mom. His explanation made her wish that Julie and Luke could be a thing but at the moment that just didn’t seem possible.

After a few seconds when it seemed that he wouldn’t be saying anything else Flynn said her goodbyes to the older man and escaped up to Julies room where both Julie and Carrie (who Julie had recently made up with) were waiting to watch old school chick flicks. Although they would more than likely end up making fun of them, turning them off and watching Love Simon and To All the Boys I Loved Before, again.

***

Ray was in a half doze on the sofa, a small smile on his face at the laughter he could hear from upstairs, both Flynn and Carrie had decided to spend the night. Ray was pleased that Carrie and Julie had made up, that girl needed more friend who were not just after her fathers money, he never did find out what Julie and Carrie had fought over but he was pleased that it was over now. His half-asleep state allowed him to wave the air displacement he felt in the room off as just a trick of his imagination. However, he couldn’t wave off the voice that followed it.

“Julie is so luck to have you as a dad, my parents never let me have sleep overs, they always complained about the noise. It was okay though I pretended to have sleep overs with my stuffed animals, at least until my mom got rid of them all when she decided that they didn’t fit the decorating style she was going with that year.” Ray recognised the voice although he had previously only heard singing, turning his head slowly so as not to be seen, Ray confirmed that the person sitting on the end of the couch was indeed the bassist from Julies band… Reggie his daughter had called him if Ray remembered correctly. He was visible from the light coming from the tv which Ray had on but wasn’t watching.

The questions Ray had was how the young man had gotten into the house, where was the rest of the band and who throws out their kids stuffed animals because they don’t match the décor. Before he could make the fact he was awake known the young man started talking again.

“Thanks for letting me hang out with you, I mean Alex is upstairs getting his nails painted by Carrie because he enjoys it, and Luke will always be wherever Julie is, she is probably painting his nails. Which he will claim to hate but he loves it really. I will stop bugging you in a minute and go up and join them I’m just not used to being around so many people in such a small area you know.” Before he could say anymore he was unexpectedly cut off.

“Your telling me that two a Julies bandmates are in her room right now and none of you had the decency to use the front door?” Ray’s voice got higher towards the end unable to believe the audacity of these young men. He may have to take back what he said to Flynn about Luke earlier that day. Ray had been expecting a lot of things, Reggie to splutter through an explanation, him to yelp, maybe even fall off the sofa. What he hadn’t expected was for the boy to literally fall through the sofa, becoming noncorporal for a moment before picking himself up, looking at Ray like a deer caught in the head lights and disappearing completely.

Ray stared at the area where Reggie had been for a moment trying to process what he had just seen before dashing for the stairs and up to Julies room. Wrenching the door open without knocking, something he would never usually have done, he somehow wasn’t surprised to see the other two member of the Phantoms, trying to calm down Reggie, who in turn was trying to tell them about Ray. Staring at the scene before him, Ray tried to process the fact that he was watching the boys phase through things around them rather then knock them over with flailing limbs.

“Julie would you mind coming downstairs and explaining to me how the phantoms in your band are actual phantoms.” Ray said to his daughter who looked up at him shocked.

“Wait you can see them?” Julie asked

“Yeah should I not be able to?”

“Well you couldn’t this morning when Reggie was hanging out with you while you cooked.” Julie told him with a shrug. Suddenly the salt appearing next to his elbow that morning, when he couldn’t find it made so much more sense.

“Julie downstairs now please.” He said with a wave of his arm, which had Julie detangling herself from everyone else on the bed and going downstairs in front of Ray. Over the next thirty minutes Julie explained everything which had happened to her since listening to the Sunset Curve demo, it sounded like a fairy story, but after what he had seen Ray had no doubt that it was entirely true.

“So, let me get this straight, those boys are ghosts of the band Sunset Curve.”

“Yep”

“And they become visible to everyone when they play on stage with you.”

“Yeah”

“But even you can’t touch them?”

“Well no, I couldn’t touch them until after the Orpheum Performance but then I could when we used the power of friendship to overcome Caleb’s control stamp.” Ray decided to brush past that part about a control stamp for now, although he would be coming back to it later.

“So only you can touch them?”

“No they become corporal to everyone around me to, as long as I am touching them they are visible and can be touched by others.”

“Okay anything else I should know?”

“Once someone has seen them and interacted with them for long enough when I am touching them, the guys stay visible to that person, like with Carrie and Flynn.” Julie explained.

“Any idea why I could see Reggie when you obviously were not touching him.” Ray asked his last burning question for the moment.

“I don’t know, but maybe it is because he is most connected to you, outside of me and the guys you are the one he spends most time with. Willie is visible to us even though we don’t have a connection but that is probably because he is important to Alex. Maybe he wanted you to be able to see him?” Julie shrugged having no better answer for her dad.

“Okay, you go back up to your friend, have a good night and let your band know I am not angry, and they don’t have to leave. We will talk about living arrangements tomorrow, either get them to live in the house or make the studio more homely.” Ray said giving Julie a kiss on the head before walking back into the living room, he heard more than saw his daughter scurry back up the stairs into her no doubt tense bedroom. Flopping down onto the sofa Ray had a feeling that those three boys were going to change all of their lives even more than they already had.

***

Five days later Ray realised that he had been both right and wrong about the boys and how they would fit into everyone’s live. Carlos had been thrilled once he was properly introduced to the boys, especially since he now had someone to watch cartoons (Alex), Play video games (Reggie) and learn the guitar (Luke) with. Ray had moved the boys out of the studio and into the large guest room at the back of the house, with some creating rearranging he had fit three single beds and three wardrobes into the room. The boys had lost and argument with him over new cloths on the second day he knew they where at the house, he wasn’t having them stick to the same four outfits for as long as they were living in his home, as part of his family. Although dragging them around the mall with them invisible to everyone else was hilarious, in the end he told the shop assistants he was shopping for his three nephews who where coming to live with him.

Ray had found that Reggie really did seem to enjoy hanging out with him, they would cook breakfast together in the mornings and Reggie would help him pick out the best shots from the photoshoots he did during the day. One thing that surprised Ray was the fact that Reggie was rather quiet especially in comparison to what his daughter had told him about the young man. Turning the radio on he found it blasting country music, the station Reggie had had it on when he was in the car with Ray to pick up Carlos from practice the day before. Ray looked to the left and realised that the mall was coming up, making a split-second decision, Ray changed lanes and headed for the Mall.

When he got home the lights where on in both Julie and Carlos’s rooms which hopefully meant they were doing their homework. Walking into the house Ray was unsurprised to see Reggie watching Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmare, however as soon as he heard the door and saw that Ray had come in Reggie switched off the program.

“Hey kid, I picked something up for you today, catch.” He called as he threw the bag he was carrying towards the sofa. Reggie caught it and cautiously opened it to see what was inside. Reggie pulled out the stuffed puppy dressed as an old west sheriff, complete with cowboy hat. Rather than roll his eyes like any other teenage boy -as Ray had worried he would- Reggie looked at the stuffed toy for a second before pulling it tight to his chest, the biggest smile Ray had ever seen across his face. After a few seconds of hugging the toy Reggie bounded off the sofa and across the room, stopping just short of Ray.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you. I love him and I will love him forever.” Reggie said almost vibrating from happiness, the only thing which would have made it better would have been if he could have hugged Ray without Julie’s help.

“Your welcome son. There was one other thing I wanted to talk to you about. Your very quiet sometimes when I’m around, why is that.” Ray asked leading the boy back to the sofa, if they where going to have an uncomfortable conversation they may as well be comfortable while doing so. For a moment Reggie looked down at the dog in his hands not sure how to answer, Ray was quite content to wait him out, knowing that Reggie would tell him when he was ready.

“My parents they were always arguing, dad thought mom spent to much money and mom thought dad spent too much time at work. I guess they were both right, but you can’t have one without the other. They were so busy arguing with each other that they never really had time to notice me, unless I yelled, at which point they would tell me off for being to loud, but everything in that house was always loud. I loved my parents I just think they would have been better people with other people rather than one another.” Reggie finished explaining still looking at the dog in his hands.

“Kid, you can be as loud as you want, anytime you want, be yourself and never apologise for that, if anyone has a problem with your being yourself then they are the ones that need to say sorry.” Reggie looked up at ray then his cheeks slightly wet. What Ray didn’t expect was for the boy to pop away without a word. However, he was back less than a minute later with Julie in tow, before Ray could question why Reggie had thrown his arms around the older man in a bone crushing hug.

“Thank you for letting me be myself.”

“You should never ever try and be anyone else” Ray said holding the boy just as tight as he was being hugged.

“You’re the best dad ever” Reggie whispered to him which just had Ray holding him a little tighter.

***

A week and a half after the boys moved in to the Molina house properly Alex came to join Ray for breakfast Julie had already left for Flynn’s house, both Reggie and Luke tagging along with her, Ray figured Alex had gone to but obviously not. Looking across the table Ray noticed that Alex had his fingernails painted in a rainbow again which meant that Carrie must have redone them the night before. The boy was drumming his fingers on the table, a nervous habit Ray had noticed which only stopped when he was with the band or holding his drumsticks.

“You alright Alex” Ray asked knowing the boy wouldn’t talk unless prompted, out of the three Alex was the quietest and most reserved of the boys but once you got him talking, he often didn’t stop.

“I went to visit my parents this morning.” Alex said as if that explained everything.

“And how did that go.” Ray prompted although he had a feeling he already knew.

“They where sitting in some café drinking coffee with other people from the church they go to. My father was wearing a red cap with the letters MAGA on” Ray winced at that knowing all of a sudden exactly what type of people Alex’s parents were, before he could say anything Alex continued, but now he was on his feet pacing.

“They where talking about how Trump had the right idea making America pure again, they started to insult other people in the café, I could see the manager was getting ready to kick them out when these two girls walked in. They couldn’t have been much older than Julie is, and they were holding hands. My mother got up and started shrieking the most horrible things at them. The manager stepped in but not before one of the girls started to cry. Another lady who was in the café got up and bodily flung her out of the café, my father and the rest of the group followed after her, the manager told them they were not allowed back in. The lady who threw my mother out comforted the girls and got them both something sweet to drink. But that’s not the point my mother was so mean she made girls cry all because they are comfortable enough with who they are to hold hands in public.” Alex ranted while pacing back and forth across the floor, Ray had a growing look of horror on his face wondering how such an awful woman, hell and man for that matter, could have produced such a wonderful son. Ray knew he had to say something to defuse the situation.

“Alex it has been 25 years and people change and sometimes it is not for the better.” Ray told him hoping to bring some small measure of comfort to the distressed kid before him.

“But they haven’t changed not one bit, they have always been like that. I’m Gay, Ray and when I told my parents they kicked me out of the house without a thought. My mother led the way with insults and the fact they should have know there was something wrong with me, while my father followed along like an obedient dog. They haven’t changed even though I hoped they had.” Alex finally ran out of steam flopping down in the dining chair and putting his head in his hands. Ray got up so he was able to kneel beside the distraught teen, wishing his daughter were there so he could at least give the boy a hug.

“Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me that you are Gay. Your parents are small and petty people who will never know the true joy of watching their child find themselves and flourish. They didn’t matter then; they don’t matter now, and they won’t matter in the future. You made yourself who you are, a brilliant, kind, caring young man who would do anything for his family and those he cares about. Alex there is something you need to remember family doesn’t end with blood, family is about love and those who are there for you in the best times and the worst.” Alex finally looked up at him with a watery smile, which had Ray smiling back at him.

“There is this guy I really like called Willie; would you mind if I brough him over sometime.” Alex asked. Ray was humbled by the amount of trust Alex was showing him by telling him about the boy he liked.

“Alex you can bring him over any time you want.” Ray told him which got another much happier smile in response. Alex stayed for a few more minutes before popping off to enjoy the rest of his day.

By six that evening the only one of his resident ghost boys not to return was Alex, Julie and Carlos had already set the table and Luke and Reggie were hanging off the back of the sofa when a knock on the door broke the relative peace inside.

Heading to the door Ray was surprised to see Alex on the other side.

“Alex kid you don’t need to knock you live here just pop right in.” Ray said with a shake of his head.

“I know I just wanted to make sure that you were still cool with me bringing Willie around.”

“Of course, its your house just as much as mine and I can’t wait to meet Willie” Ray reiterated. He saw Alex take a deep unnecessary breath before motioning to someone beside the door who was just out of Rays view. The boy who stepped forward was not who Ray had been expecting, long hair, cracked helmet under his arm, tidied t-shirt and board shorts along with the skateboard in his hand marked him as a skater boy. Suddenly a song by Avril Lavigne started running through his head, especially knowing how much Alex loved dancing with Carrie, Ray managed to keep his face straight knowing if he laughed Alex would take it the wrong way.

“Nice to meet you, you must be Willie.” Ray said to the nervous looking boy beside Alex.

“Nice to meet you to Mr. Molina.” Willie replied, his usual cool personality being replaced by nerves.

“It’s Ray kid, now why don’t you boys come inside. We are about to have dinner, even if you don’t eat dinner is a family affair.” Ray said waving the two boys into the house.

Willie left just before midnight to head back out, his usual personality shining through by the time he left, Ray had never met two people who were more different than Alex and Willie yet they fit together so perfectly, Willie brought Alex out of his shell while Alex curbed some of Willie’s wilder ideas.

Ray was tidying up one last time before going to bed when he felt someone standing behind him, both Julie and Alex were waiting when he turned around. Alex looked contrite for a second before darting forward and pulling ray into an unexpected hug.

“Thank you for excepting me” Alex said quietly barely above a whisper.

“I’ll always except you son no matter what” Ray replied choked up at the idea that anyone had ever not excepted Alex.

“You really are the best dad ever.” Alex told him while clinging a little tighter.

***

After three weeks of the band living in the Molina house the only one of the boys Ray had not spent any significant time with was Luke, Ray figured that it was because Luke expected him as Julies dad to not be excepting of whatever was going on between his daughter and the ghost. But that was looking less and less likely as the only thing that seemed to be going on was longing puppy dog looks, blushes and almost touches. Honestly, ray thought it was ridiculously cute but even he was starting to be driven mad by the pinning in the air whenever Luke and Julie were in the same room.

Walking down his drive towards the studio ray was surprised to hear Luke’s voice, because Julie and the other two guys where up in the living room along with Flynn and Carrie having another movie night, Ray would have expected Luke to be with them. Walking to the door Ray walked into the room and leaned against the frame, Luke was using an acoustic guitar and the song sounded different to anything Ray had ever heard either from the Sunset Curve demo or the new stuff with Julie.

Step into my world

Bittersweet love story about a girl

Shook me to the core

Voice like an angel, I’ve never heard before

Ray couldn’t help but smile at the words obviously they were for Julie but why he thought that it had to be a bittersweet love story Ray wasn’t sure. Just then Luke looked up and the music he had been making came to a screeching halt.

“Mr. Molina, sir, I didn’t hear you come in, I hope I wasn’t annoying anyone.” Luke stammered running a nervous hand through his hair. Ray would associate a lot of words with Luke, cocky, self-assured, talented and loyal being the first that sprang to mind but nervous was not a word that should ever be associated with Luke.

“Don’t worry about it kid, I was just taking a walk when I heard you play, thought I would drop in and listen to the magic happen. Your good, incredible even. I honestly wish I had a talent like yours.” Ray soothed, it was so easy to forget under the assured front man exterior, Luke was a teenager with hang-ups and worries just like the rest of the band.

“Wait… you really think so?” Luke looked and sounded so young when he asked that, that Ray cursed the fact he couldn’t hug these boys without Julie touching them for what felt like the millionth time.

“Yeah I do, my Rose she could write like no one else, but you are something else, I have seen the creative process when you write, you put everything you are and everything you have into writing those songs. Both the ones for Sunset Curve and those you write with Julie, you’re a brilliant artist.” Ray answered completely honestly, he had never seen the point of lying about someone’s talent in fear of them getting a big head, if you are good at what you do you deserve to have a big head, as far as Ray is concerned.

“Thank you.” Luke said looking down at the guitar in his hands before the moment could get awkward Luke continued on.

“Julie is so lucky to have you as a dad, you go to all her shows, you help her get the following she needs to make it big and even after she disobeyed you, you still supported her. I’m sorry that she snuck out that was my idea and totally my fault sir.” Luke rushed his words almost as if, if he stopped, he wouldn’t start again. Ray blinked trying to digest the hidden meaning behind Luke’s words.

“Okay first thing to address there, it Ray, please never call me sir again. Julie is a teenage, I knew I would have to deal with sneaking out and there are a lot worse places she could have gone than to do a show with you guys, so don’t blame yourself, I know you Luke you wouldn’t have forced Julie to go, she made that decision all by herself. I also take it that your parents were not as supportive of your dream to become a rock star as you would have liked.” Ray said moving to sit next to the teen on the couch.

“I think they would have been if they had understood. But my dad was an insurance broker, to him everything was always about being safe rather than taking unnecessary risks and the riskiest thing they could think of would be becoming a rock star. Because the news was full of talented people dying young, so to them even if I made it, I was sentencing myself to death anyway. They didn’t get it, doing a job I hated, not pursuing music, that would have been a slow death. I guess they were right we never became legends like I wanted, and we did die young.” Luke looked down refusing to meet Ray’s eye.

“Funny thing about legends, they never truly die, their light can be snuffed out before their time, but they never truly die. In your case that is even more true, you have another chance to become a legend and I will be there all the way supporting you, Julie, Alex and Reggie because you are far to good to waste your talent becoming… I don’t know a car salesman.” Ray told him getting a water chuckle from the boy.

“Julie helped me close the door on my past with my parents, she gave them a song I wrote for my mom after I ran away. Its helped them move on a lot and I guess it helped me to because I can talk about my parents and why I ran away.” When he mentioned Julie, his face lit up like a Christmas tree.

“Yeah Julie will do anything to help her friends, but she will go above and beyond for those she really cares about… like you.” Ray decided to test the waters and find out how Luke would react, but nothing could have prepared him for the reaction he got.

“I am so so so sorry sir, I know that my feelings for Julie are completely inappropriate, I swear to you that I am never going to act on how I feel. I am trying to distance myself from her I promise you I am.” Before Luke could work himself up any further Ray interrupted.

“Wooo calm down kid, I don’t think we are having the same conversation as each other. Take a breath, that’s it in and out with me. Okay now that you are calmer why don’t we sit back down, and we can talk about this properly.” Ray motioned to the seat beside him which after a moment of deliberation Luke took and dropped his head into his hands his shoulders slumped.

“Now what is this about you distancing yourself from Julie because that would only hurt her I know how attached she is to you boys and you especially Luke.” Ray said trying to get his head around Luke’s way of thinking.

“I am a ghost, I can never give Julie the kind of life she deserves, she deserves devotion, declarations of love were everyone can see, a wedding one day surrounded by her friends and family she deserves all that and more and I can’t give her that. So, it is better I pull away now than hurt her more later.” Luke begged that Ray understand why he was pulling away. Ray ducked his head until he could make clear that Luke should look him in the eye.

“Okay there is a lot to unpack there but let’s start with devotion, you are going to put Julie first no matter how much it hurts you, supporting her through one day being with someone else even though it tears you apart I can’t think of a greater act of devotion. Julie has always thought big declarations of love in front of other people are tacky and unnecessary, if you love someone you show it in a million little ways not one big way. And yeah, the future is scary, and you are a ghost but you and the boys become more and more corporal everyday further and further away from Julie so who knows what the future holds. I learned one important thing when I lost my wife, live for today tomorrow might not be there. So listen to my advice, go in that house and tell Julie how you feel, the rest is a bridge to be crossed when you get to it.” Ray ended his speech with an order that Luke thankfully headed and popped away into the house.

Rather than go back inside immediately Ray took a walk around the garden until he came to Rose’s dahlia patch, sitting before his wife’s favourite flower he began to talk. Ray told her all about the boys; Reggie’s compassion, Alex’s bravery, Luke’s unwavering loyalty. He knew his wife would have loved those boys just as much as he did, although thinking about how the boys came into Julie’s life, he was almost sure that the boys had been sent by his wife.

Finally he got up and made his way into the house, when he went inside he found Alex, Reggie, Flynn and Carrie on blankets on the floor Reggie was leaning against Julies legs and he had a hold on Alex so they would stay solid where they where curled up with the girls. Julie and Luke were cuddled together on the love seat heads close and hands clasped. Ray was truly happy that Luke had taken his advice, he honestly didn’t know what the future would hold for Julie and Luke but he hoped that fate would not be cruel enough to tear them apart.

Ray walked into the kitchen to get himself a coffee before doing a little work before going to bed, as he waited for the machine he felt the tell tale displacement of air which heralded the arrival of one of his boys. Turning around he smiled at Luke who looked rather bashful.

“Thank you, Ray, for your advice, I don’t know what I would have done without you giving me a push.”

“Pinned until you combusted probably.” Ray answered with a smile before continuing “I really am glad that you and Julie worked something out son.” A strange look came over Luke’s face, before he motioned Ray to follow him, which the older man dutifully did until they where back in the living room. Luke kept walking until he was close enough to touch Julie before turning around and holding open his arm. Ray gave a smile before walking up and hugging the boy.

“Thank you for supporting me” Luke said his voice quiet even in the sleepy room.

“Always, I will always support you.” Ray answered the boy who’s head was tucked beneath his chin.

“You really are the best dad ever.” Came his muffled reply.

Later when everyone else in the living room was asleep Ray crept to the kitchen and looked at the cut Dahlia’s in a vase on the kitchen table.

“You know I always wanted to adopt I just wasn’t expecting it to be ghosts.” 


End file.
